


AO3 Ship Stats 2020

by centreoftheselights



Series: AO3 Ship Stats [13]
Category: Fandom - Fandom, No Fandom
Genre: AO3 Research, AO3 Statistics, Archived From centrumlumina Tumblr, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Essay, Fandom, Fandom Research, Fandom Scholarship, Fandom Statistics, Fandom studies, Femslash Fandom, Meta Essay, Nonfiction, Racism in fandom, Research, Sexism in Fandom, Slash Fandom, acafandom, fandom nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centreoftheselights/pseuds/centreoftheselights
Summary: The 2020 edition of the AO3 Ship Stats project. This project aims to track and analyse the most popular pairings posted on AO3 over time.
Series: AO3 Ship Stats [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1209645
Comments: 147
Kudos: 638





	1. Overall Top 100

  
  
  
  


Welcome to the 2020 [AO3 Ship Stats](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1209645) Top 100!

This list shows the 100 pairing tags with the most fanfics posted on [Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/) as of August 2 2020. There are 68 M/M pairings, 19 F/M, 3 F/F, 7 Gen and 3 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic or familial ‘Gen’ relationships, while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic and sexual pairings.)

Of the 200 names on the list, 26 belong to women and 3 to characters of indeterminate gender, compared to 25 and 4 respectively in the [2019 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19963579/chapters/47258239). There are 52 POC and 7 racially ambiguous characters, compared with 46 and 8 last year.

For more information on this project, please see the [FAQ post](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329885). You might also want to check out the [Top 100 pairings of 2020](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62327902#workskin) or the [Top 100 Femslash Pairings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329354#workskin). This stats series is [also available on Tumblr](https://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/625370676425015296/welcome-to-the-2020-ao3-ship-stats-top-100-this).

A text-only version of the list is as follows:

Rank Change Pairing Fandom Works Type Race  
1 0 Castiel/Dean Winchester Supernatural 84563 M/M White  
2 0 Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Sherlock (TV) 61544 M/M White  
3 0 Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 59286 M/M White  
4 0 James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 49659 M/M White  
5 0 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 40312 M/M White  
6 1 Steve Rogers/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 36264 M/M White  
7 -1 Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson One Direction (Band) 33126 M/M White  
8 0 Keith/Lance (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 30317 M/M Amb/POC  
9 50 Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 28208 M/M White  
10 -1 Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Supernatural 27696 M/M White  
11 0 Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Shadowhunters (TV) 24787 M/M Whi/POC  
12 -2 Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 24333 M/M Whi/POC  
13 0 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 23339 M/M POC  
14 15 Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 21306 F/M White  
15 -1 Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 19851 M/M POC  
16 4 Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Miraculous Ladybug 19631 F/M Whi/POC  
17 -5 Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 18688 M/M White  
18 7 Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 17867 M/M POC  
19 0 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 17686 M/M White  
20 -5 Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Sherlock (TV) 17417 Gen White  
21 0 Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 17384 F/M White  
22 18 Peter Parker & Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 17366 Gen White  
23 -7 Dan Howell/Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF) 17316 M/M White  
24 -6 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Hannibal (TV) 17257 M/M White  
25 21 Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 16824 M/M POC  
26 -3 Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin Bangtan Boys | BTS 16682 M/M POC  
27 -10 Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel Glee 16175 M/M Whi/POC  
28 24 Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 15375 M/M POC  
29 -5 Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) 14736 M/M White  
30 -8 Levi/Eren Yeager Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 14304 M/M White  
31 22 Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 14073 M/M POC  
32 -2 Keith/Shiro (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 13925 M/M Amb/POC  
33 -5 Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 13475 M/M White  
34 -8 Gabriel/Sam Winchester Supernatural 13166 M/M White  
35 N Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 13132 M/M POC  
36 14 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 13048 F/F White  
37 -10 Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki Supernatural RPF 13046 M/M White  
38 -7 Loki/Thor (Marvel) Thor (Movies) 12863 M/M White  
39 -6 Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin The 100 (TV) 12750 F/M Whi/POC  
40 2 Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 12668 M/M POC  
41 -6 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 12286 F/F Whi/POC  
42 N Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier IT (Movies – Muschietti) 12227 M/M White  
43 -6 James T. Kirk/Spock Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 12015 M/M White  
44 -10 Rodney McKay/John Sheppard Stargate Atlantis 11951 M/M White  
45 -9 Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams Hawaii Five-0 (2010) 11750 M/M White  
46 2 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 11700 F/M Whi/Amb  
47 -9 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 11651 F/F White  
48 -7 Harry Potter/Severus Snape Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 11582 M/M White  
49 -5 Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich Shameless (US) 11436 M/M White  
50 -11 Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 11340 F/M White  
51 6 Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu!! 11155 M/M POC  
52 -20 Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak Arrow (TV 2012) 11147 F/M White  
53 -10 Clint Barton/Phil Coulson The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 10642 M/M White  
54 -9 Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables) Les Misérables - All Media Types 10604 M/M White  
55 11 Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Haikyuu!! 10486 M/M POC  
56 -7 Mycroft Holmes/Lestrade Sherlock (TV) 10450 M/M White  
57 -10 Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 10301 F/M White  
58 11 Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 10190 F/M Whi/Amb  
59 6 James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 10125 F/M White  
60 13 Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 9891 M/M POC  
61 -10 Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield The Hobbit - All Media Types 9875 M/M White  
62 -2 Loki/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 9781 M/M White  
63 -5 Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones Torchwood 9666 M/M White  
64 -9 Frank Iero/Gerard Way My Chemical Romance 9574 M/M White  
65 -11 Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Doctor Who (2005) 9568 F/M White  
66 5 Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 9498 M/M POC  
67 -3 James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 9347 Gen White  
68 4 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 9269 F/M White  
69 -8 Castiel & Dean Winchester Supernatural 9122 Gen White  
70 -14 Zayn Malik/Liam Payne One Direction (Band) 8967 M/M Whi/POC  
71 -3 Fox Mulder/Dana Scully The X-Files 8825 F/M White  
72 4 Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural 8791 Gen White  
73 N Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 8768 M/M POC  
74 -12 Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper Sherlock (TV) 8560 F/M White  
75 -8 Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford Dragon Age: Inquisition 8175 Other Whi/Amb  
76 N Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 7928 Gen White  
77 -14 Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Once Upon a Time (TV) 7927 F/M White  
78 -3 James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 7855 M/M White  
79 4 James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader Marvel Cinematic Universe 7724 Other Whi/Amb  
80 6 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto 7705 M/M POC  
81 N Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Haikyuu!! 7629 M/M POC  
82 -8 Allison Argent/Scott McCall Teen Wolf (TV) 7592 F/M Whi/POC  
83 N Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion The Witcher (TV) 7573 M/M White  
84 -14 Dean Winchester/You Supernatural 7555 Other Whi/Amb  
85 4 James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 7456 M/M White  
86 -7 Arthur/Eames (Inception) Inception (2010) 7397 M/M White  
87 -10 Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg The Sentinel (TV) 7366 M/M White  
88 N Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 7325 M/M POC  
89 9 Poe Dameron/Finn Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 7239 M/M POC  
90 -6 Peter Parker/Wade Wilson Spider-Man - All Media Types 7206 M/M White  
91 4 Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 7176 M/M POC  
92 -14 Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph Twenty One Pilots 7082 M/M Whi/POC  
93 N Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth Game of Thrones (TV) 7063 F/M White  
94 -9 Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 7047 M/M White  
95 -2 Jon Snow/Sansa Stark Game of Thrones (TV) 6939 F/M White  
96 -15 James Bond/Q James Bond (Craig movies) 6897 M/M White  
97 -17 Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 6876 M/M Whi/POC  
98 -16 Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) 6824 F/M White  
99 N Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol EXO (Band) 6630 M/M POC  
100 N Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 6506 Gen White


	2. 2020 Top 100

  
  
  
  


As part of the [AO3 Ship Stats](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1209645) project, this list shows the 100 most-posted pairing tags on [Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/) in the period 24 July 2019 - 2 August 2020. This list was created by comparing the current number of fics with data gathered for the [2019 AO3 Ship Stats](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19963579/chapters/47258239).

There are 71 M/M pairings on the list, 15 F/M, 3 F/F, 8 Gen and 3 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic or familial ‘Gen’ relationships, while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic and sexual pairings.)

Of the 200 names on the list, 23 are women and 3 are characters of ambiguous gender, down from 28 and 3 in the [2019 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19963579/chapters/47258407). 92 are POC, and 7 are racially ambiguous, compared with 64 and 11 two years ago.

For more information about the AO3 Ship Stats project, please check out the [accompanying FAQs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329885). You might also be interested in the [All-Time Top 100 Pairings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62325097) and the [Femslash Top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329354#workskin). These stats are [also available on Tumblr](https://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/625370682589609984/as-part-of-the-ao3-ship-stats-project-this-list).

ETA: Fixed Change value for Merlin/Arthur Pendragon.

ETA 2: Fixed Race categorisation for Michael Guerin/Alex Manes.

A text-only version of this data is as follows:

Rank Change Pairing Fandom New Works Total Type Race  
1 15 Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 20298 28726 M/M White  
2 72 Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 10671 13130 M/M POC  
3 8 Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 9076 21306 F/M White  
4 28 Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier IT (Movies – Muschietti) 8441 12227 M/M White  
5 N Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion The Witcher (TV) 7573 7573 M/M White  
6 1 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 7239 40312 M/M White  
7 5 Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 7070 16824 M/M POC  
8 0 Peter Parker & Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 6807 17366 Gen White  
9 -7 James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Captain America (Movies) 6262 49659 M/M White  
10 4 Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 6141 15375 M/M POC  
11 -5 Steve Rogers/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 5613 36264 M/M White  
12 68 Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 5503 7928 Gen White  
13 -8 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 5254 23339 M/M POC  
14 5 Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Miraculous Ladybug 5183 19631 F/M Whi/POC  
15 5 Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 5001 14073 M/M POC  
16 -13 Castiel/Dean Winchester Supernatural 4927 84563 M/M White  
17 1 Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 4596 17867 M/M POC  
18 N Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) 9-1-1 (TV) 3716 3716 M/M Whi/POC  
19 5 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 3614 13048 F/F White  
20 -16 Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Shadowhunters (TV) 3599 24787 M/M Whi/POC  
21 2 Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 3569 17384 F/M White  
22 14 Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 3565 7325 M/M POC  
23 N Adora/Catra (She-Ra) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) 3538 4919 F/F Whi/POC  
24 15 Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 3512 8768 M/M POC  
25 N Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF 3446 3446 M/M POC  
26 -12 Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 3249 59286 M/M White  
27 10 Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 3157 18688 M/M White  
28 -11 Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin Bangtan Boys | BTS 3155 16682 M/M POC  
29 66 Ayanga/Zhèng Yúnlóng 声入人心 | Super-Vocal (TV) 3111 5285 M/M POC  
30 -21 Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 3026 19851 M/M POC  
31 -3 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2958 17686 M/M White  
32 N Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist The Magnus Archives (Podcast) 2917 3367 M/M Ambig  
33 60 Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2672 5023 Gen POC  
34 12 Peter Parker/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 2623 6160 M/M White  
35 N Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Haikyuu!! 2601 10485 M/M POC  
36 22 Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2583 10171 F/M Whi/Amb  
37 -8 Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 2507 9891 M/M POC  
38 -37 Keith/Lance (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 2480 30317 M/M Amb/POC  
39 20 Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington Stranger Things (TV 2016) 2438 5338 M/M White  
40 N Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Haikyuu!! 2387 7629 M/M POC  
41 N Patrick Brewer/David Rose Schitt's Creek 2363 3150 M/M White  
42 5 Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee NCT (Band) 2331 5854 M/M POC  
43 8 Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 2304 6506 Gen White  
44 N Dabi/Takami Keigo | Hawks Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2294 2930 M/M POC  
45 N Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu!! 2272 11155 M/M POC  
46 -24 Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 2259 12668 M/M POC  
47 N Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier Fire Emblem: Three Houses 2218 2218 M/M White  
48 28 Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth Game of Thrones (TV) 2186 7063 F/M White  
49 19 Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2169 4991 M/M POC  
50 N Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh IT (Movies – Muschietti) 2163 3116 F/M White  
51 3 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2128 11699 F/M Whi/Amb  
52 -31 Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Sherlock (TV) 2121 61544 M/M White  
53 -5 James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2110 10125 F/M White  
54 -28 Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 2074 9498 M/M POC  
55 N Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 2073 2494 M/M POC  
56 -25 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Hannibal (TV) 2064 17257 M/M White  
57 N Kakyoin Noriaki/Kujo Jotaro JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1964 3580 M/M POC  
58 N Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 1896 3983 F/M POC  
59 -46 Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 1843 24332 M/M Whi/POC  
60 15 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1838 9269 F/M White  
61 N Poe Dameron/Finn Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 1806 7238 M/M POC  
62 N Kaminari Denki/Shinsou Hitoshi Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 1791 2732 M/M POC  
63 -38 Dan Howell/Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF) 1782 17316 M/M White  
64 -54 Keith/Shiro (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 1764 13925 M/M Amb/POC  
65 31 Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Sanders Sides (Web Series) 1720 3917 M/M White  
66 N Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell 1707 4803 M/M Whi/POC  
67= -33 Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 1651 7176 M/M POC  
67= N Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth Fire Emblem: Three Houses 1651 1651 Other White  
69 N Michelle Jones/Peter Parker Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies) 1639 3692 F/M Whi/POC  
70 N Michael Guerin/Alex Manes Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019) 1635 2746 M/M Whi/POC  
71 28 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto 1625 7705 M/M POC  
72 N Bakugou Katsuki/Uraraka Ochako Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 1617 3776 F/M POC  
73 -30 James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 1559 7456 M/M White  
74 -39 James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader Marvel Cinematic Universe 1544 7724 Other Whi/Amb  
75 9 Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed Detroit: Become Human (Video Game) 1534 3921 M/M White  
76 N Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1511 6308 M/M White  
77 N Jeon Jungkook/Kim Namjoon | RM Bangtan Boys | BTS 1505 3911 M/M POC  
78 N Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan 1501 6017 F/M White  
79 N Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth Fire Emblem: Three Houses 1495 1495 Other White  
80 N Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural 1493 8791 Gen White  
81 N Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 1487 2200 Gen POC  
82 -37 Tony Stark/Stephen Strange Marvel Cinematic Universe 1460 4912 M/M White  
83 N Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist Persona 5 1447 3285 M/M POC  
84 N Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou Haikyuu!! 1444 4932 M/M POC  
85 N Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know Stray Kids (Band) 1440 3091 M/M POC  
86 -33 Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol EXO (Band) 1431 6629 M/M POC  
87 -45 Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Supernatural 1416 27696 M/M White  
88 N Leone Abbacchio/Bruno Buccellati JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1415 2237 M/M White  
89 N Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar Lucifer (TV) 1413 4165 F/M White  
90 N Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier IT - Stephen King 1396 2268 Gen White  
91 N Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard All For The Game - Nora Sakavic 1392 4681 M/M White  
92 N Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long RWBY 1390 4358 F/F POC  
93 N Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 1378 2887 Gen POC  
94 N Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader Star Wars - All Media Types 1369 4112 F/M White  
95= -8 Kim Namjoon | RM/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 1365 4728 M/M POC  
95= N Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) Avatar: The Last Airbender 1365 1828 M/M POC  
97 N Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin NCT (Band) 1360 3266 M/M POC  
98 N Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) 1333 14736 M/M White  
99 -72 Loki/Thor (Marvel) Thor (Movies) 1330 12863 M/M White  
100 N Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders Sanders Sides (Web Series) 1327 3132 M/M White


	3. Femslash Top 100

  
  
  
  


As part of the August 2020 [AO3 Ship Stats](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1209645), here are the Top 100 F/F pairings with the most total works on [Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/).

Of the 200 names on this list, there are 53 women of colour and 27 women of ambiguous race, which are the exact same proportions as [the 2019 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19963579/chapters/47258509). For comparison, the [overall top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62325097) includes 52 people of colour and 7 who are racially ambiguous.

Because of the way I produced this data, there is a small chance some F/F ships are missing, particularly those in fandoms dominated by other categories of ship. For more information, see the [project FAQs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329885). This project also includes an [All-Time Top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62325097) and a [2020 Top 100](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62327902), and can be found [cross-posted on Tumblr](https://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/625370687758008320/as-part-of-the-august-2020-ao3-ship-stats-here).

A text-only version of this data is as follows:

Rank Change Pairing Fandom Works Race  
1 2 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 13048 White  
2 -1 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 12286 Whi/POC  
3 -1 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 11651 White  
4 0 Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer Supergirl (TV 2015) 5732 Whi/POC  
5 0 Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein Carmilla (Web Series) 5116 White  
6 27 Adora/Catra (She-Ra) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) 4920 Whi/POC  
7 -1 Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam Homestuck 4644 Ambig  
8= 0 Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught Wynonna Earp (TV) 4489 White  
8= -1 Korra/Asami Sato Avatar: Legend of Korra 4489 POC  
10 0 Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long RWBY 4358 POC  
11 -2 Alphys/Undyne (Undertale) Undertale (Video Game) 3736 Ambig  
12 -1 Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell Pitch Perfect (Movies) 3647 White  
13 2 Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee RWBY 3322 Whi/POC  
14 8 Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 3201 POC  
15 -3 Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw Person of Interest (TV) 3048 Whi/POC  
16 -3 Kara Danvers/Cat Grant Supergirl (TV 2015) 3016 White  
17 -3 Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 2757 White  
18 -1 Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce Glee 2648 Whi/POC  
19 -3 Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler Overwatch (Video Game) 2574 Whi/POC  
20 -1 Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Holby City 2384 White  
21 -1 Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price Life Is Strange (Video Game) 2344 White  
22 -1 Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray Glee 2251 White  
23 6 Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) 2176 White  
24 0 Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 2157 Ambig  
25 -7 Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli Agent Carter (TV) 2152 White  
26 5 Asui Tsuyu/Uraraka Ochako Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2094 POC  
27 -2 Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs The Devil Wears Prada (2006) 2070 White  
28 -2 Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz Riverdale (TV 2017) 2069 Whi/POC  
29 3 Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1898 White  
30 6 Anna/Elsa (Disney) Frozen (Disney Movies) 1867 White  
31 12 Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan Doctor Who (2005) 1829 Whi/POC  
32 -9 Allison Argent/Lydia Martin Teen Wolf (TV) 1824 White  
33 -6 Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) 1624 Whi/POC  
34 -6 Delphine Cormier/Cosima Niehaus Orphan Black (TV) 1597 White  
35 53 Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova Killing Eve (TV 2018) 1581 Whi/POC  
36 1 Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood Shadowhunters (TV) 1519 Whi/POC  
37 -7 Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Warehouse 13 1500 White  
38= 13 Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel Batman - All Media Types 1446 White  
38= 3 Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell Game of Thrones (TV) 1446 White  
40 -6 Erin Gilbert/Jillian Holtzmann Ghostbusters (2016) 1364 White  
41= -6 Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 1335 Whi/POC  
41= -1 Kimberly Hart/Trini Power Rangers (2017) 1335 POC  
43 -5 Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli Rizzoli & Isles 1326 White  
44 -5 Lena "Tracer" Oxton/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix Overwatch (Video Game) 1322 White  
45 -3 Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni Mass Effect Trilogy 1286 Ambig  
46 3 Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov Marvel Cinematic Universe 1263 White  
47 -2 Anya/Raven Reyes The 100 (TV) 1186 POC  
48= 4 Alex Danvers/Kara Danvers Supergirl (TV 2015) 1180 White  
48= -1 Pearl/Rose Quartz | Pink Diamond Steven Universe (Cartoon) 1180 Ambig  
50 7 Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka Haikyuu!! 1174 POC  
51 -1 Gwen/Morgana (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 1168 Whi/POC  
52 -4 Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 1164 White  
53 29 Tobin Heath/Christen Press Women's Soccer RPF 1155 Whi/POC  
54 -8 Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) 1148 White  
55 1 Terezi Pyrope/Vriska Serket Homestuck 1124 Ambig  
56 17 Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari Little Witch Academia 1122 Whi/POC  
57 1 Astra/Alex Danvers Supergirl (TV 2015) 1103 White  
58 3 Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 1088 Ambig  
59 9 Hermione Granger/Pansy Parkinson Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1080 Whi/Amb  
60 -16 Maria Reynolds/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler Hamilton – Miranda 1068 POC  
61= -1 Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger Women's Soccer RPF 1059 White  
61= -6 Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) 1059 White  
63 -9 Pacifica Northwest/Mabel Pines Gravity Falls 1051 White  
64 -11 Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance Arrow (TV 2012) 1045 Whi/POC  
65 -1 Carol Aird/Therese Belivet Carol (2015) 1011 White  
66 -7 Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge Riverdale (TV 2017) 988 Whi/POC  
67 8 Leliana/Female Warden (Dragon Age) Dragon Age: Origins 964 Whi/Amb  
68 N Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman Legacies (TV 2018) 952 Whi/POC  
69 5 Rachel Amber/Chloe Price Life Is Strange (Video Game) 947 White  
70 17 Evie/Mal (Disney) Descendants (Disney Movies) 924 Whi/POC  
71 N Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett Critical Role (Web Series) 891 Amb/POC  
72 -6 Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 889 Ambig  
73 -11 Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 882 White  
74 -11 Princess Bubblegum/Marceline Adventure Time 881 Ambig  
75 -5 Misty Day/Cordelia Foxx | Cordelia Goode American Horror Story 880 White  
76 -11 Gabrielle/Xena Xena: Warrior Princess 844 White  
77 19 Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau Captain Marvel (2019) 827 Whi/POC  
78 21 Beauregard Lionett/Yasha Critical Role (Web Series) 821 Whi/POC  
79 0 Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss Criminal Minds (US TV) 815 White  
80 -11 Female Hawke/Isabela Dragon Age II 809 Amb/POC  
81 14 Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield Emmerdale 808 White  
82 N Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 804 Whi/Amb  
83 3 Trixie Mattel/Katya Zamolodchikova RuPaul's Drag Race RPF 802 Whi/POC  
84 6 Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino Naruto 801 POC  
85 -19 Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura Teen Wolf (TV) 798 Whi/POC  
86 N Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanov Marvel Cinematic Universe 792 White  
87 2 Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine Star Trek: Voyager 790 White  
88 N Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman Legacies (TV 2018) 773 White  
89 9 Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers Supergirl (TV 2015) 761 Whi/POC  
90 -14 Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi Love Live! School Idol Project 760 POC  
91 -20 Maya Hart/Riley Matthews Girl Meets World 751 White  
92 -15 Kaiou Michiru/Tenoh Haruka Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 750 POC  
93 N Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) 748 Whi/POC  
94 -22 Charlie Bradbury/Jo Harvelle Supernatural 738 White  
95 -14 Emily/Lena "Tracer" Oxton Overwatch (Video Game) 719 White  
96 -16 Cosette Fauchelevent/Éponine Thénardier Les Misérables - All Media Types 716 Whi/Amb  
97 -5 Moira O'Deorain/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler Overwatch (Video Game) 711 White  
98 -14 Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 707 Ambig  
99= -8 Nishikino Maki/Yazawa Nico Love Live! School Idol Project 701 POC  
99= N Female Inquisitor/Josephine Montilyet Dragon Age: Inquisition 701 Amb/POC


	4. FAQ

This is an FAQ post for the [AO3 Ship Stats 2020](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62325097) and the accompanying [2020 Top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62327902) and [Femslash Top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671457/chapters/62329354). This stats series has also been [cross-posted to Tumblr](https://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/625370676425015296/welcome-to-the-2020-ao3-ship-stats-top-100-this).

**I’ve found a mistake!**

I try my hardest to ensure the data on the chart is 100% accurate, but I’m not a perfect fact-checking machine. Please check the post in question for edits and read the rest of these FAQs, but if you can’t find a correction or an explanation, please drop me a message.

**What exactly is this measuring?  
**

This measures the number of publicly-accessible works posted in Relationship tag displayed on [Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/). The data was retrieved on 2nd August 2020, and the comparison data for the This Year list was retrieved as part of [last year’s list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19963579).

Because of the way AO3 tags work, all sub-tags and synonymous tags are also counted automatically (i.e. fics tagged “Johnlock”, “John/Sherlock” and “Sherlock Holmes/John Watson” are all combined into a single entry). The data gathering technique I use cannot access locked fics, so fandoms with a high proportion of locked fics (e.g. RPF) may have lower fic counts than expected.

**What do all of the columns on the chart mean?**

Rank - The ranking of this pairing out of all of the pairings on AO3, listed by number of works tagged with that pairing in the period specified (the last year or all time). 1 is the most frequently tagged pairing, 10 is the tenth most, etc.

Change - The change in rank since [the last top 100 list](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976706/chapters/39900885). Positive numbers mean the pairing has moved up the list, negative mean it has moved down. N indicates that this is a new pairing which was not in last year’s top 100.

Pairing - The pairing tag being considered. Because AO3 has a tag hierarchy, this includes all tags which the site considers synonymous to or sub-sets of the main tag.

Fandom - The fandom most frequently tagged in association with the pairing tag.

Works/Total - The number of fanworks (typically fanfics) tagged with that pairing, as of 2nd August 2020.

New Works - The number of new fanworks created in the time between 24th July 2019 and 2nd August 2020, calculated as the difference between the number of pairings in this dataset and the number in the 2019 dataset.

Type - The genders of the characters/people involved in the relationship. M indicates male, F female. Other is used for relationships involving characters of ambiguous gender. Gen indicates that the tag is for a platonic or familial relationship, not a romantic one (indicated on AO3 by an & symbol).

Race - The races of the characters/people involved in the pairing. Whi indicates white, Amb or Ambig indicates ambiguous, POC indicates person/people of colour.

**How is the race category determined?**

The categories for race are defined as follows:

White - Any character/person described as white and/or portrayed on-screen by a white actor. (Please note that this includes ethnically Jewish characters/people, such as Erik Lehnsherr or Adam Lambert. This is due to the limitations of the White/POC categorisation system.)

POC - A character/person described as a person of colour (Black, Asian, Latino, mixed race, etc.) and/or portrayed on-screen by an actor of colour.

Ambiguous race - A character whose race is explicitly intended to be ambiguous, characters of species with non-human skin tones, video game characters whose race can be chosen or changed by the player, and/or characters whose race varies between adaptations of the work. Please note that real people cannot be racially ambiguous.

**What about background pairings?**

Because of the way AO3′s tagging system works, there is no way to differentiate between the main pairing in a work and minor, or background, pairings. Some of the pairings on these lists may be popular primarily as a secondary pairing in works about another couple.

I have not done any research into background pairings with this data set. However, in the [2013 version of this project](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39730371), I found that the background pairing effect was most common with F/M, and to a lesser extent F/F, ships.

**How was this data gathered?**

The raw data was collected from AO3 using a web-scraping program of my own design. All of the data collected on pairing names, fandoms and fic numbers is publicly available to any user of the site. Some processing has been done in order to remove duplicates, synonyms, non-specific/parent tags and tags involving original characters.

Data on gender and race was copied from previous lists or added by hand, and may contain errors.

**What point are you trying to make?**

All of the information in the main post is intended to be factual and verifiable. However, the data is presented in order to highlight the lack of fanfiction focussed on women, F/F pairings, and People of Colour. If you wish to learn more about my views on this topic, please read my essays [Why M/M? ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976958)and [Misogyny?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911123/chapters/39731508), my [analysis of race in the AO3 Ship Stats](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976571), and my discussion of [What does a 'Person of Colour' look like in the AO3 Ship Stats?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21160259)


End file.
